Book Club: Book Review of The Boxcar Children Early Reader Set

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

Our first grader loves to read. So, whenever we get the chance to review books, we jump at the opportunity. I was very excited to receive The Boxcar Children Early Reader Set because I had no experience with the Boxcar Children series prior to reading these four books. I am always on the lookout for new books to introduce to our children. So, we appreciate finding ones that are appropriate and free of questionable content. These books, written by Gertrude Chandler Warner, published by Albert Whitman & Company were a fantastic addition to our homeschooling day. 

General Information About the Books 

The Boxcar Children Early Reader Set contains the first four books in Gertrude Chandler Warner's Boxcar Children series adapted for early readers. The Boxcar Children series tells the story of Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny who were orphaned and in the first book (published in 1924 but re-issued in 1964 by Albert Whitman & Company) find themselves living in a boxcar in the forest. 

The books included in this set are: 

The Boxcar Children 
Surprise Island 
The Yellow House Mystery 
Mystery Ranch 

In the first book we meet the four children and learn that they were hiding from their grandfather because they thought he was mean and didn't want to live with him after the death of their parents. Surprise Island starts with the beginning of summer – the perfect time to go on an adventure! The entire book details the children's experiences living on the island without their grandfather. They meet up with Joe who joins them on their adventures and teaches the children many new things including teaching Violet to play the violin. The children learn of Bill who lived in the yellow house in the third book. They explore the yellow house and discover a clue to the mystery of what happens to Bill the previous resident. And finally in Mystery Ranch, the children visit their great aunt's ranch and try to cheer her up. All the while, they explore a mystery of rocks and a secret campsite. 

These four books are part of the Time to Read™ series which is an early reader program. Early reader programs are created to provide reading success to children regardless of their age or grade. This particular series has three levels which helps parents pick the books that fit the reading abilities of their children. 

The three levels are: 

1. Beginning to Read 
2. Reading with Help 
3. Reading Independently 

The Boxcar Children Early Reader Set is Level 2: Reading with Help. I think this is a perfect placement as our four-year-old could read some of the story with my help and our first grader was able to read them by himself (he has been reading independently for a while now). So, I think they are perfect for a five-year-old! 

How Did We Use The Boxcar Children Early Reader Set in our Homeschool?

I gave all four books to our first grader to read on his own when they first arrived. As he loves reading, I knew that he would read them at his leisure. He actually read them all by himself before we were able to read them together.

I chose to read them during the review period as bedtime read-alouds. The first night I read one, our first grader wanted me to read another and then another. (I only read two that night.) He wasn't trying to stall bedtime. He really enjoyed the stories.

Our four-year-old then decided one afternoon she wanted to read Mystery Ranch to me. So we sat down together and she went through the first several pages with a little bit of help with the names of the characters and words like exciting and passenger. But unlike some other learning-to-read books, she did not seem to be discouraged by the few words she did not know. She was also able to follow the story as she was reading the book. And she was very excited to see what the rocks were that were found on Aunt Jane's ranch.

What Did We Think?

I really liked the books. I found them easy to read aloud to our two young children. They are just the right length. The illustrations are bright and colorful. And another great bonus is that the text is large and easy to read – no crazy font or colors. I appreciate books that are easy on the eyes as a parent.

The fact that the children wanted to live in a boxcar is really cool. So many children dream of living on their own in a treehouse, tent, or cave. So the idea is likely to connect with children who love adventure. I also think the way they became orphans and living on their own was handled in a very good manner. Nothing super sad or scary.

Our son's favorite book was Surprise Island. He really liked the museum that the children created while collecting items (like shells) as they were walking up and down the beach. In the story, Joe helps the children identify the objects with books he brings over. (I can see our children creating their own museum much like the Alden children did in the book.)

When I asked our son to tell me what he liked about The Yellow House Mystery, he grabbed the book and sat there laughing as he re-read when Joe's canoe tipped over. He then read some of it out loud to us, which caused his sister to want to see the book, too. He liked the fact that Bill was able to make a new start at the end of the book. A good lesson to be learned about the ability to start over.

After reading Mystery Ranch to our four-year-old, I asked her what she liked about the book. She proceeded to flip through the book and explain what she likes about each part or illustration. She concluded this with: "It's the best book that I love."

Personally, I can't wait to check out more in the series including the ones that aren't adapted for early readers. I think they will be a good fit for our homeschooling journey. As our teen fondly remembered The Boxcar Children series from his younger years, we are sure his siblings will continue to find them as fascinating as he said he did.

Do You Want To Learn More?

Other members of the Homeschool Review Crew read The Boxcar Children Early Reader Set, too! Please be sure to check out their reviews to see how they used the books in their homeschool. And why not take a look at all the other great books from Albert Whitman & Company.

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Book Club: The Gingerbread Pirates

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I love reading children's Christmas books. There is a great deal of excellent choices and so many retellings of famous stories, too. Our library usually puts out books for each holiday on top of the children's bookshelves but for Christmas they have so many that they displayed them in a book rack. How exciting to pick through the books to find new ones to read with our children!

Our son picked out The Gingerbread Pirates by Kristin Kladstrup and illustrated by Matt Tavares. This story is about Jim and his Pirate cookie captain that he creates with his mom. Jim and his mom bake cookies for Santa but instead of regular Gingerbread Men, they make pirate cookies!

During the night, on Christmas Eve, Jim's favorite Pirate cookie captain goes on an adventure and meets Santa. In the morning, Jim finds a wonderful new Pirate ship with a wooden captain with a cutlass and a peg leg to pilot the ship.

There are number of fun ways to expand upon the reading of the story with your children.

Baking

This year why not be creative with your cookie decorations? You can make unique characters instead of just regular Gingerbread men. Make pirates, ninjas, astronauts, cowboys and cowgirls, and all kinds of "people" using your cookie cutters.

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Crafts

Using the same basic Gingerbread cookie cutter, you can create your very own pirate salt dough ornaments.

We made our own ornaments using:

• 1 cup flour
• a little more than 1/2 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of salt 

We stirred the mixture till it formed a dough and then used a rolling pin to roll out the dough on wax paper. I recommend sprinkling a little extra flour so that the dough doesn't stick to the wax paper or the rolling pin.

I didn't bake the ornaments right away but let them air dry for a day. I finally baked them at the lowest setting on my oven checking them every half hour. I let them bake for about 2 hours.

One of the characters in the story is called Dots. 

The next day we painted them and finally added the ribbon so we can hang them from the tree! 

Family Discussion Time

After reading The Gingerbread Pirates, use the following questions to spur conversation with your children:

• What was your favorite toy or present to find under the Christmas tree? 
• What adventure would your Gingerbread men go on? 
• What type(s) of cookie(s) do you leave for Santa? 
• What are your favorite type of cookies? 

Do you have a favorite Christmas story to read with your little ones?

Book Club: Review of Four Historical Fiction Books by Mattie Richardson

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Product: Mattie Richardson's Horses in History Series

Our family had the privilege of reviewing four softcover books written by Mattie Richardson. Each of these books is set in a particular period of history and told from the viewpoint of one or more horses. They are written with 8- to 14-year-olds in mind but if your children enjoy history or horses, then younger or older children will also enjoy them. We also received a PDF copy of The Day and Night Enrichment Guide.

The four books we read are:

• Appaloosy 
• Golden Sunrise
• Dusty's Trail 
• Day and Night 

Mattie Richardson wrote her first book, Appaloosy, at the age of thirteen. Appaloosy was published when she was sixteen. What an awesome start to a writing career! In addition to the four books we reviewed, Richardson has also written The Secret of Hemlock Forest (recommended for ages 12 and up) and Blackberry Blossom (suitable to teens and young adults). Currently, she is a full-time journalist and part-time musician.

Her passion is writing and sharing that passion with other young, inspiring writers. Richardson spends time speaking at schools and for groups of young writers to share her enthusiasm. 

How Did We Use the Books in Our Homeschool? 

When our son and I talked about possibly reviewing the books by Mattie Richardson, he said he was interested in reading Golden Sunrise and Dusty's Trail so we started reading Golden Sunrise as a read aloud.

Golden Sunrise

The focus of the story Golden Sunrise is Jared and his horse Cheyenne and their involvement in the Texas fight for independence. From the Battle of Gonzalez and the famous cannon with the rallying cry "Come and Take It!" to the siege on the Alamo, the book is full of history to discuss and learn about with your children. Readers meet James Bowie, Davy Crockett, William B. Travis, Sam Houston, and Antonia Lopez de Santa Anna. 

I then read the other three books myself and thoroughly enjoyed reading each of them!

Day and Night 

While reading Golden Sunrise to our two younger children, I read Day and Night myself as I love reading about the Civil War. I love the fact that it is set in the Western Theater of the Civil War because there is already a plethora of books and information available for people who are interested in learning more about battle events in the Eastern Theater. 

Tucker and Shiloh, the two horses who are central to the story, are brothers and Morgan horses. They are separated at the start of the Civil War as Casey sold his herd off. Tucker, the older brother, was sold first and ended up with Ben in the Union Army. Shiloh, remained first on Casey's farm, but was stolen at night to join the Confederate Army. In an early chapter, we read of an attempt to break Shiloh in a negative manner. I was very glad I wasn't reading this story aloud to my younger children and I even think those on the younger end of the suggested reading age would have a problem with the breaking of Shiloh. Fortunately for the younger horse, he was stolen again. And this time by a girl who would join the Confederate cavalry in disguise. 

I enjoyed reading Day and Night and even though Richardson moved around a few events and occurrences to help tell her story, the main historical facts were not greatly changed.

We also had the opportunity to review and/or use the Day and Night Enrichment Guide that accompanies Day and Night. The 98-page PDF is geared for 8- to 14-year-olds and can take approximately 8-12 weeks depending upon how much you choose to include in your homeschool day. There are 9 parts which include similar activities such as:

• Reading Comprehension 
• Vocabulary 
• History
• A Soldier's Life 
• Geography
• Horses and History 
• Creating Your Own Stories
• And more! 

We did not use the Enrichment Guide in our homeschool as the activities are too involved for our younger children and our teen has already studied the American Civil War. I enjoyed looking through it and anticipating using the Enrichment Guide in a few years with our younger two kids. I appreciate that the recommended resources for the advanced track include Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson and Shiloh by Shelby Foote. Two noted Civil War historians. Another feature I liked was the inclusion of bibliographies for both Northerners and Southerners like Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis. 

Appaloosy 

Next, I read Appaloosy. The story itself was 116 pages long. Before the story begins, the reader is presented with several Nez Perce words and their meanings. At the beginning of the story, Storm is living with his family free but not really free. The Nez Perce tribe actually owns the horses and comes to gather up the young horses. Storm eventually ended up with White Feather until after the failed march to freedom led by Chief Joseph. Storm becomes the property of different people and had to learn "The White Man's Ways."

I think the central focus of the story about Storm is his time with Faith. During a brief time, Storm was owned by Amos who treated his 'demon' horse cruelly. While under the ownership of Amos, Faith visited Storm regularly and slowly became Storm's friend, gaining the ability to ride him. She eventually purchased Storm and he came to live at Faith's parents' farm. The story doesn't end quite yet. There is more action including a daring escape on the part of Storm and other horses.

Dusty's Trail

Finally, I read Dusty's Trail. This book is the story of a horse, Dusty, an American Quarter Horse, who served on the Pony Express. We will be adding this to our pile of read-aloud books for our younger children as I think the story is exciting and they will enjoy it. There are some scenes that may be scary to them – Levi who rides Dusty for the Pony Express is captured by the Paiute Indians – but I think because this tale is shorter (67 pages long), they will really like it.

During the story, we meet Dusty who is afraid of loud noises and jumps at shadows. His ability to overcome being afraid is tested when the Paiute Indians attack Levi and Dusty. An Indian appeared right before the horse and rider and an arrow buried itself into Dusty's shoulder causing Dusty to stop suddenly. This threw Levi from the saddle. Instead of listening to his heart, Dusty listened to his head "Run! Run if you want to live!" and he ran from the attack.

During the next few days, Dusty is sad over the fact that he left Levi behind. He feels the other horses and the humans look down upon him for abandoning his human rider, Levi. He and another horse plot a daring plan to rescue Levi. The events leading up to the rescue are so exciting!

What Did We Think?

I really enjoyed reading all four books. They were a perfect length. I think each topic was very well developed and introduced a variety of exciting topics to discuss.

Even though I love history, I do not know a lot about the Pony Express. I was amazed to read in A Blast From The Past at the end of Dusty's Trail that the Pony Express only lasted from April 1860 to October 1861. It is so well-known today, I would have thought the horses were in service for a much longer time frame.

While reading Golden Sunrise, our children were eager to learn more about the famous individuals in the story – Davy, Crockett, Jim Bowie, and others – so we went to our library to find books about them and the time period. I love books that encourage our children to want to learn more.

In the end, I was surprised but I think that Dusty's Trail was my favorite of the four. I really thought that the Civil War story, Day and Night, would be my favorite. If you have read them, which one was your favorite?

While I thoroughly enjoyed reading all four books, please note that the age recommendations are pretty accurate. I would not recommend Day and Night for younger children as there is a scene in which one of the horses is being 'broken' by a rider but don't worry; Shiloh doesn't stay with this individual. I would also recommend holding off on letting younger children read or listen to Appaloosy as there are some sad scenes in the book.

I do recommend all four books for children of middle school age. I think they would be a great fit for inclusion in a U.S. History homeschool unit study. According to the Day and Night Enrichment Guide, there will be guides for the other books coming out by 2021. Making all four books a perfect addition for homeschooling families.

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Don't forget to read the rest of the reviews so you can see how else you can use these four books in your homeschool!

Literature Study Guides with a Christian Perspective: A Review of The Long Way to a New Land Study Guide

Using study guides for literature happens to be one of my favorite ways to approach reading lessons for our homeschooled children. So when we had the opportunity to review another product from Progeny Press, I was very happy to pick The Long Way to a New Land Study Guide which is geared for grades 1-3. (Last year we used and reviewed the Perelandra Study Guide with our teen.) This year, our first grader and I are reading through the book The Long Way to a New Land and use the study guide from Progeny Press.

What is Progeny Press?

Their mission: "To teach our children to think clearly, to understand literature, and to rely on the scripture for truth and values, and enjoy themselves while they do it!"

There are so many great products offered by Progeny Press. They offer their study guides in a variety of ways including printed workbooks, CDs, and e-Guides that you can download right to your computer. You can also purchase books to go along with your study guide on their site.

What Did We Receive?

For this review, we downloaded the 49-page study guide written by Colleen Schreurs for the book written by Joan Sandin. We purchased the book separately but you could also pick it up at a library or purchase it through Progeny Press. The story, The Long Way to a New Land is set in both Sweden and in Ellis Island, New York in 1868. It is an I Can Read book level 3 (for children reading alone). The family is struggling in Sweden and decides to travel to America for a new opportunity.

As you and your children read the story, you can easily incorporate the study guide activities into your homeschooling day. The study guide contains a number of activities to complete with your child before, during, and after reading the book. For example, my husband and I helped our son complete a family tree prior to reading the story. We also worked on creating the different flags to represent where his ancestors originated in Europe. (Both he and his sister really enjoyed this activity!)

Those activities that relate directly to the chapters in the book contain the following parts:

• Vocabulary 

• Questions regarding the content of the chapter 

This was a fun exercise asking why the family packed different items into their trunk for America

• Literary Techniques and Grammar (such as cause & effect, prediction, synonyms, action verbs, etc.) 
• Comparing past and present 
• A section entitled Dig Deeper that consisted of Bible quotations and questions for reflection such as read Matthew 4:4 "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'" with a question asking children why the Bible was an important item for the family to take with them to the New Land

There were also a number of activities for when we were finished reading the book including writing letters to grandparents to learn more about ancestry of the family, the creation of a family booklet with photos, and a cooking center (the study guide contains a recipe for Quick Whole Wheat Bread).

There is also an answer key to help you correct the objective questions.

Note: All the units are written from a Christian perspective. The study guide contains references to Bible quotes using the NIV translation.

How Did We Use the Study Guide?

During the course of the review period, we set aside our other language arts work to focus solely upon reading The Long Way to a New Land and using the study guide. Our son read through the entire book as soon as it arrived. We then completed the before-you-read activities together. When we started working on the sections of the study guide that were specifically geared towards the chapters, I would read the chapter aloud to both our children before our son worked on the questions.

Referencing the book to answer the questions

I only required our son to complete one part for each chapter each day. If he were older, he could probably complete the entire work for each chapter during one day. So the way we worked through the study guide, it will take us about five to six weeks to complete. If you were working at a faster pace, it would probably take you about four to five weeks to complete.

What Did We Think?

I am very pleased with The Long Way to a New Land Study Guide. The variety of the activities means we had something new to work on each day. All the activities were closely connected to the book which I appreciated. This was a perfect fit for our homeschool day.

I also like how you could tie in social studies and history to this study guide. In fact, we were able to talk about the Statue of Liberty (which our son had studied a bit earlier in the year) and examine some stamps from Czechoslovakia as some members of my own family were from Slovakia.

I think the study guide would be perfect for a second grader. I found some of the work to be a bit more challenging for my first grader but as we are homeschooling, we have the flexibility to work through the questions together. Some of the ways we adapted the study guide was taking turns writing out the answers to the questions, reviewing the book as we answered each question, and I gave our son clues as to where to find the vocabulary words in the word search.

Our son's favorite activity from the study guide was creating the flags. He said, "It was so much fun."

He also enjoyed the vocabulary activity where he had to define the word in his own words and then look it up in the dictionary. Some of the words he had to define included homespun, copper, and seaport. From the vocabulary activities, he also really liked completing the crossword puzzle and the word search.

He also enjoyed being able to draw objects from the present that related to objects from the past and coloring in his pictures. For example, he drew a fancy tower (floor) lamp since we no longer use oil lamps like the family used in the story.

I would recommend the study guides from Progeny Press. They are excellent for focusing upon one story or book with your child and allow for tons of learning opportunities.

P.S. Progeny Press has a lot of fun activities and ideas pinned to a board just for The Long Way to a New Land Study Guide! We can expand our time studying about Ellis Island, Immigration, and the Statue of Liberty using their board.

Do You Want to Learn More About Progeny Press?

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Progeny Press offered four different study guides for review. Please visit the other reviews to see how they incorporated the study guides into their homeschooling day.

Spending Summers Seeing New Scenes - Summer Readers from Sonlight

I received this complimentary product from Sonlight. 

Well-told tales, like those in the Summer Readers Sets from Sonlight, have a way of transporting me back to the time and place I was reading a specific story. I can still pick up books that I read during the summer and remember sitting outside in my mom's backyard. I can almost hear the birds and feel the sun on my face. I always looked forward to the summers when I was a teen and young adult in college because it meant I could read more books. I loved getting out the lawn chair, my newest book, and my cassette player (later my Ipod) and sitting outside under the bright sunshine and reading.

When we are on vacation down the shore, I fondly remember the summer I discovered the books of Lucy Maud Montgomery. My mom let me pick one book at the 5 & 10 store in case there was rain the week that we were at the beach. I think I finished Anne of Green Gables before the week was even over! Whether I was sitting on the beach or the terrace at the rental house, I was transported to Prince Edward Island.

As much as I miss those carefree days of summer reading, times have changed. As a wife and mom, my summers have gone from those lazy days of hours spent in the sun reading to spending time with my husband and children. Fortunately, my husband shares my love of reading so we have already shared some new lovely summer reading traditions together as a family.

How Our Families Spends Summers Reading

Reading Challenge

Last year, the whole family participated in a reading challenge for the summer. Could we read 100 books by the end of the summer? I included books read by and to our two younger children, as well as those read by our teen, myself, and my husband. We did not reach our goal of 100 books but we came close - only about 20 books shy.

Will we read 100 books this summer? With books like Guts and Glory: The American Civil War by Ben Thompson or Clare Vanderpool's Navigating Early from the Sonlight's High School Boys Summer Reading Package, we will sure give it our best to reach our goal. Sometimes it seems like the summer is over before you have had the chance to select quality books for your children to read. With the Summer Readers from Sonlight sets, books are selected by the founder of Sonlight, Sarita Holzmann and her daughter, Jonelle, so you don't have to worry about pre-reading all of your children's summers books. After reading through their favorites, they create a list of titles for both boys and girls from elementary through high school.

"The boy books tend to have male main characters, with plots that emphasize adventure and danger, with pranks, humor and hijinks for good measure.

The girl books tend to have female main characters, with plots that emphasize courage and connection, with romance, mystery, and beauty for good measure." (Sonlight Summer Readers)

Each Summer Readers set contains four to five selected books that help children continue to grow over the summer academically – as well as have fun!

When starting a reading challenge you might ask: is quantity as important as quality? Not at all but it helps to set goals. It was also pretty exciting to see our goal chart fill up with stickers and the titles of books last year. I look forward to adding books from the Sonlight Summer Readers to our 'to-read' list this year! I admit I want to check out several of the books myself – including The Gallery by Laura Marx Fitzgerald from the High School Girls' Summer Reading Package.

Library Summer Reading Program

Another way we approach reading during the summer is through the Summer Reading Program at our local library. Last year, our four-year-old participated for the first time in the Summer Reading Program at our library. To encourage summer reading, our library provides a log and bookmarks for the children. Last year, as children filled up their logs, a leaf was placed on a paper tree in the library to represent the number of books children read.

During the summer, our library had special guests with presentations and movie nights for the entire family. At the end of the program, children received a bag of prizes which included coupons to local businesses and an appropriate gift (our son received a small brick car and person to build).

What is great about our library's program is that it doesn't matter if the books are from the library or your own collection - they are all eligible for the book log. And grown-ups can participate, too! So this year our teen will be keeping his log and adding in the books from the Sonlight Summer Reader Set.

Our Family Will Add to Our Summer Reading Plans

Reading Outdoors

In our household, our children range from a 15-year-old to a 4- and 3-year-old. This summer we will all get out of the house to read either in the backyard, or on rainy days, on the porch. We will pick books to read independently as well as books to read aloud together.

Read Aloud with the Teen

Our teen will be taking on the role of reader for our read alouds. Somewhere along the path to growing up, he lost his early love of reading. We have tried all the tips to no avail. I am hoping that he will regain some of that early love by sharing books with his siblings.

Some Tips for Encouraging Your Reluctant Reader

• Provide them with appropriate books written at or just above their reading level 
• Allow them to pick their own books (within reason) 
• Allow them to read comics and graphic novels 
• Be a reader yourself
• Leave books around the house that might interest your children 
• Visit the library, book store, or comic book store regularly 
• Let your child stay up and read – we always told our teen if  he couldn't sleep, he could turn on his light and read even if it was past his bedtime 

Sonlight offers a "complete Homeschool Curriculum" with "easy-to-use lesson plans, schedules and materials from Preschool through High School." Their summer readers offer three levels of books – elementary, middle school, and high school – with books for sets designed for boys and girls.

Visit Sonlight to learn more about the Summer Readers. 

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